1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a card connector which receives and holds an information card with a built-in semiconductor chip therein and connects an external connection terminal of the card to circuitry formed on a circuit board, and particularly to means for detecting a sliding identifier mechanism provided on such an information card.
2. Description of Related Art
An information card which incorporates a semiconductor chip has been commonly known as one type of portable information device which is detachably loaded in electronic equipment such as personal computer, camcorder, electronic camera or cellular phone. This type of information card includes an information card which has a narrow recess (step-like portion) along its side edge with a sliding identifier mechanism provided in a concave notch in the recess so that recording of information onto the information card or reproduction of information from it can be disallowed by sliding the identifier in the notch.
Electronic equipment in which an information card can be loaded comprises a circuit board bearing required electronic circuitry and a card connector for connecting the external connection terminal of the information card to the electronic circuitry on the circuit board.
Next, a conventional card connector will be described referring to FIGS. 13 and 14. FIG. 13 is a sectional view of a card connector with an information card loaded therein as a first example of a conventional model, and FIG. 14 is a sectional view of a card connector with an information card loaded therein as a second example of a conventional model.
In these figures, reference numeral 100 represents an information card; 101 represents a narrow recesses in the side edges of the information card 100; 102 represents a space formed in the recesses of the information card; 103 represents a concave notch cut in the recess 101; 104 represents a sliding identifier mechanism provided in the concave notch 103; 200A and 200B represent card connectors; 201 represents a frame made of an insulating material; 202 represents a cover made of metal; 203 represents a housing space for insertion of the information card 100 defined by the frame 201 and cover 202; and 204 represents an identifier detecting means consisting of a movable contact member 204a and a fixed contact member 204b. 
In the card connector 200A as shown in FIG. 13, the movable contact member 204a and fixed contact member 204b which constitute the identifier detecting means 204 are disposed facing the side face of the recess 101 in the information card 100. When the information card 100 is inserted into the housing space 203 in the card connector 200A and the recess 101 touches the movable contact member 204a, the movable contact member 204a elastically deforms and touches the fixed contact member 204b; then as the information card 100 is inserted all the way into the housing space 203, the area of contact between the movable contact member 204a and the recess 101 falls into the concave notch 103 cut in the recess 101, which restores the movable contact member 204a to its initial state due to its elastic force, and lets it go away from the fixed contact member 204b. When the information card 100 is fully inserted into the housing space 203, the area of contact between the movable contact member 204a and the recess 101 comes to ride on the identifier 104 provided in the concave notch 103, which causes the identifier 104 to push the movable contact member 204a and thus keep it in contact with the fixed contact member 204b. This makes it possible to detect the current position of the identifier 104 in the concave notch.
On the other hand, in the card connector 200B as shown in FIG. 14, the movable contact member 204a and fixed contact member 204b which constitute the identifier detecting means 204 are disposed facing the upper face of the recess 101 in the information card 100. The current position of the identifier 104 is detected in the same manner as mentioned above.
For a card connector for use in electronic equipment, particularly portable electronic equipment, compactness is strongly demanded to make the electronic equipment compact, lightweight and multifunctional.
In this sense, however, the card connector 200A as the first example in FIG. 13 has a drawback: because the movable contact member 204a and fixed contact member 204b which constitute the identifier detecting means 204 are disposed facing the side face of the recess 101 in the information card 100, it requires a width W which is larger than a card connector without identifier detecting means. The card connector 200B as the second example in FIG. 14 also has a drawback: because the movable contact member 204a and fixed contact member 204b which constitute the identifier detecting means 204 are disposed facing the upper face of the recess 101 in the information card 100, it requires a thickness T which is larger than a card connector without identifier detecting means.
The present invention is intended to solve the above problem. Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to reduce the size of a card connector with identifier detecting means.
In order to achieve the above objective, as a first solution, the present invention provides a card connector for receiving an information card therein, where the information card has a narrow step recess along one of its side edges and a sliding identifier mechanism provided in a concave cut in the step recess. The card connector further comprising a frame which constitutes a housing space into which the information card is inserted, and an identifier detecting means for detecting a sliding position of the identifier. The identifier detecting means comprising a fixed contact member and a movable contact member which are mounted on the frame, with part of the movable contact member forming a projection for detecting the sliding position of the identifier, whereby the projection lies in an area within the housing space through which the step of the card is to pass, where as the information card is inserted into the housing space, the projection touches an upper surface of the step and/or that of the identifier and works in the concave cut in the step.
When the movable contact member and fixed contact member, which constitute the identifier detecting means, are located on the upper surface of the frame, there is no need to make a space in the information card housing space for holding the movable contact member and fixed contact member, and therefore, a situation where the width W of the card connector (see FIG. 13) has to be considerably large can be avoided. In addition, the projection as part of the movable contact member lies in the area within the housing space through which the step of the card is to pass, and when the information card is inserted into the housing space, the projection touches the upper surface of the step and/or the upper surface of the identifier and works in the notched concave area of the step so that the movable contact member and fixed contact member, constituting the identifier detecting means, never protrude above the housing space. Therefore, it is possible to avoid a situation where the thickness T of the card connector (see FIG. 14) has to be relatively large. For at least these reasons, a compact card connector having identifier detecting means can be realized.
As a second solution according to the present invention, the movable contact member in the above first solution is held under tension in such a manner as to touch the fixed contact member, and when there is no information card inserted in the housing space, the contact members stay electrically connected with each other.
In the above configuration, when no information card is in the housing space, the movable contact member and fixed contact member constituting the identifier detecting means are electrically connected with each other. This means that the card connector is suitable for use with electronic circuitry having normally-closed signal processing circuitry.
As a third solution according to the present invention, one end of the movable contact member in the first solution protruding from a rear end of the frame is soldered to a circuit board and one end of the fixed contact member protruding from a front end of the frame is soldered to the circuit board.
In the above configuration, the connection between the movable contact member and the circuit board and that between the fixed contact member and the circuit board can be separated from each other in the direction of depth with respect to the frame. This makes it possible to simplify the structure of the movable contact member and that of the fixed contact member and also to simplify the arrangement of the connections, leading to a compact card connector, particularly with a reduced width.
As a fourth solution according to the present invention, in an innermost side of the housing space in the first solution there is insertion completion detecting means which detects the front end of the information card and senses that the information card has been placed in a prescribed position in the housing space, the insertion completion detecting means consisting of two metal strips which are disposed in such a manner as to be separable and touchable, with either of these metal strips integrally formed with the fixed contact member or movable contact member.
In the above configuration, either of the metal strips constituting the insertion completion detecting means and the fixed contact member or movable contact member can be combined as one component so that, for a card connector having insertion completion detecting means, such a decrease in the number of components results in cost reduction.